Save Our Souls: A Pretty Little Liars Ezria Fan-Fiction
by JordanOLoughlin
Summary: Aria Montgomery is utterly brokenhearted when she receives the news that Ezra Fitz is dead. She has started to get depressed; she believes it is her fault he was murdered. But is Ezra really dead? Set near the end of season five and season 6. (May include cutting/depression/PTSD)
1. Chapter 1

**Aria's Point of View**

I couldn't believe it.

 _This is not happening!_ I mentally screamed.

He was dead.

Ezra was _dead._

Ezra Fitz, the man who had risked his job, his career, his criminal record . . . all for me. And for it all to end . . .

Just.

Like.

 _That._

Because of me, because of A. If I wasn't stupid enough to leave my phone at Ezra's apartment that one day nearly two years ago, none of this would have happened.

I prayed that this horrible nightmare would end, that I would wake up in Ezra's apartment, his comforting arms wrapped around me, begging me to tell him what was wrong.

But it wasn't a nightmare.

I walked slowly down the aisle, clutching a tearstained letter and all of the poems and stories I had secretly written about him in the course of our relationship. I tried to ignore the judgmental comments coming from a middle-aged woman sitting next to Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Hanna Marin.

"She was his girlfriend . . . he was her teacher! I would never let my sixteen year-old daughter date a twenty-three year old man!"

"Shut up! You're _such_ a bitch! They met each other two years ago, she's eighteen now and I'm pretty sure she doesn't want any gossip about her relationship with Ezra at his freaking funeral!" Hanna fumed.

"Hanna!" Spencer and Emily whispered loudly.

Grief sliced through me like a sword as I collapsed the the ground, sobbing into my hands. My heart broke again, causing the shatters to turn into dust particles. It was all my fault! After crying hysterically for about thirty seconds, I stood up and sprinted out of the church and to my car. I jammed my key into the ignition, twisting it so vigorously it could have easily snapped in half. I just had to get away. I drove around town aimlessly, my tears nearly blinding me. When Happiness by The Fray came on the radio, I started to cry even more. I finally stopped near the edge of Rosewood after barely avoiding three accidents. I parked my car on the side of the road, slinking off into an alley.

 _"The investigation is ongoing and the incident has been ruled as a homicide. Although the police did not find a body, the amount of blood indicated the victim's wounds were fatal. Ezra Fitz was murdered."_

 _They were the exact words spoken when Mona Vanderwaal was murdered._

 _I broke down crying, my three best friends restraing me as I bolted towards the apartment building. I wouldn't believe it until I saw it. I broke through the dreaded yellow police tape, running as fast as my short legs would carry me._

 _"Miss! You can't go in there!" An officer shouted. I ignored them and continued running until I reached apartment 3B._

 _The door was taped off. I gasped as realization hit me._

 _He really was dead._

My knees buckled and I doubled over, feeling my body hit the cold, hard cement. I screamed in as a sharp pain sliced through my temple. I could remember nothing more than a seemingly endless black void.

 **Anonymous Person's Point of View**

I walked down the deserted area of Rosewood, my black hoodie covering my face. I could feel my heartbeat drumming in my head. I can't believe I did this. Her heart was definitely shattered. But if I had to protect her, and if this was the only way to do it, so be it.

I heard a sickening scream coming from an alley in between an abandoned bank and a bakery. Concerned, I ran to the spot. I breathed in a sharp breath when I realized who it was.

Aria.

I ran to her, praying she was okay. I saw blood glistening in the street light that barely reached the end of the alleyway. Panicked, I gently picked her up and carried her until I reached a streetlamp so I could inspect her wound.

The cut was very deep, and the fact that she wasn't responding to my touch scared me even more. I carefully placed her tiny body in the back of my car. I got in myself and drove to Wren Kingston's apartment. I carried her up the steps and barged into Wren's apartment without knocking.

"Hey! I was just about to - Ezra! What happened to her?" Wren said, his face going from cheerful to confused to mortified.

"I found her unconscious in an alleyway . . ." I half-whispered, tears escaping my eyes. I buried my head into my hands. It was all my fault! What a perfect boyfriend I am; making my apartment look like I'd been murdered and then letting my girlfriend's heart be smashed to pieces . . . I deserve an award!

"She needs stitches, but after I stitch her up I need to go to New York for business. I'm afraid you'll have to look after her."

So much for protecting her.

"Okay," I whispered. I sat down on Wren's couch, letting the tears fall. It was a good ten minutes when Wren reappeared.

"I stitched up the gash in her head, now I need to go now or I'm going to miss my flight. Just stay with her, okay?"

I nodded, taking her in my arms and gently laying her down in the guest bed, where I had been staying for the past week.  
I turned my attention back to Aria. The room was pitch black, except for the blazing fireplace on the opposite wall. I sat down in front of the fire, pondering the whole situation. I heard a stirring in the bed. I stood over Aria, watching as her puffy, red, mascara-smeared hazel eyes opened.

"Bye, Ezra!"

"See you in a few days, Wren!" I called.

 **Aria**

I woke up in an unfamiliar setting. The throbbing pain in my temple caused my to whimper. I turned to my other side and immediately bolted up.

A was standing over my bed.

"How dare you? How dare you mercilessly kill an innocent person! What did Ezra ever do to you? If this is so much trouble for you, stop killing people and just drop grudge you have on me and my friends!"

"Aria, calm down, it's not A, it's me . . ." the hooded figure said as they pushed their hood off of their head.

I could recognize that voice anywhere.

"Ezra?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Ezra's Point of View**

"Wait . . . you're . . . you're _alive?_ " Aria whispered softly, a smile of relief slowly appeared on her face. She started to cry.

I pulled her to me and let her tears soak through my sweatshirt.

"Aria, are you okay? What's wrong?" I asked. I was concerned for her; it was my fault she was feeling like this.

"It's just . . . you're here! I'm just so happy!" she said with a huge smile. Almost immediately it disappeared. "Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Stage your own death."

I sighed. I knew I had to explain this to Aria one way or another.

I hesitated for a moment before saying, "Would you like me to begin from last week, or would you like me to start from the beginning?"

Aria raised an eyebrow. "The beginning," she said.

"I'm part of a protection program, I guess. We call it the B Team, and our goal is to protect you and your friends from A." I looked down at the newly polished floorboards, wondering what to say next.

"The B Team originally consisted of just Wren and Jason. When Jason started to . . . drink and get addicted to drugs, he fell out of the loop. Wren knew Alison was in danger, but he wasn't sure what she was in danger of. Once I caught Wren spying on Alison and myself. He told me that she was in danger. That was also the night I found out how she had lied to me about her age. When she disappeared, Wren and I decided to investigate. I used my book as a coverup for my research, just in case the police got suspicious. We eventually gave up. When I met you, I didn't know who you were until you told me your name and I realized you were one of Alison's friends. When I found out about A, Wren and I teamed up to protect you girls. Eventually, Toby and Caleb joined the group. We've done many things to protect you; Toby joined the A Team and faked his death, Wren and Melissa got engaged, Caleb spied on Hanna, I had Caleb set up cameras and develop software to keep an eye on you . . ."

Aria's puffy red eyes were now shining with tears, a few tricking down her cheeks. I reached up and brushed them away.

"Hey, don't cry, don't cry! It's okay, I'm here," I shushed her, smoothing her dark chocolate brown hair out of her delicate face. I pulled her into my chest, softly stroking her back.

"You always loved me. You never used me," she said softly, almost at a whisper. Her voice cracked at the end, and so did my heart. I pressed my lips against her's, something I'd been longing to do for the past week.

"I can't believe how much pain I've put you through. I thought I was protecting you," I said. "Not just recently, but with the book, the spying, everything. And then I lied to you about the book. I should have just told you about the team. I'm so sor-"

"I don't ever want to hear you say you're sorry again," she whispered, throwing her arms around my neck. I smiled ruefully; only Aria would quote me when I was apologizing to her.

"Ow . . ." she whined, pulling away from me and carefully touching her temple.

"Are you okay? Do you want anything?" I asked, stroking her hair.

"Yes . . . water, sleep, and you."

"Okay," I said. I went into the fridge and fetched her a bottle of cold water. When I came back to her, she was snuggled deep into the heavy comforter, attempting to stay warm. She took the water from my hands, hastily twisting off the cap. After drinking about half the bottle, she buried herself deeper into the covers.

"Ezra?"

"Yes?"

"Can you lie down with me?"

"Okay, just let me change. Oh, and here," I said, tossing her a big yellow T-shirt; I knew it was her favorite. "You can't possibly be comfortable in that." I walked over to the bathroom and got changed.

I slipped under the covers with Aria, pulling her tiny body to my chest. Her head nestled into the crook of my neck. She drifted to sleep instantly.

 **Aria's Point of View**

 _"Ezra?" He kept staring blankly into space._

 _"It's so beautiful," he said softly. He turned around to face me. He moved his hand to his jacket, pulling it away from his side, revealing the bullet wound._

 _"Ezra!" I screamed. His helpless body crippled to the ground. I held him in my arms, breaking his fall. He touched my face, whispering that he was sorry, that he loved me. I was sobbing, screaming his name._

 _"Don't you are close your eyes! Do you hear me?" I screamed, choking on my tears._

 _I could see the life fading away in his ice blue eyes as they closed._

I woke up from the nightmare, softly crying. Ezra stirred in his sleep, turning around to face me. His eyes opened, and they widened in concern when he saw my tears.

"Aria, are you having nightmares again?"

"I . . . I dreamed of the night you got shot," I whispered. Ezra pulled me into his chest, soothing me as he stroked my back. "I'm here, I'm here . . ." he mumbled into my hair. I buried my head into his chest, inhaling the faint scent of his remaining cologne. When I finally stopped crying, he pulled away and smiled at me. Taking my hand, he whispered, "Follow me." Still holding my hand, he led me to Wren's deck. We sat down on the outdoor sofa, gazing up at the hundreds of stars in the sky. I twiddled with the hem of Ezra's yellow T-shirt he had lent me.

"In my world," he said, "the stars shine for you." I looked up at him to see him gazing down at me, a huge smile plastered on his face.

"You're so beautiful," he said, planting a kiss on my forehead. "I love you so much."


	3. Chapter 3

**Ezra**

I awoke on the couch in an extremely uncomfortable sleeping position. Aria was lying on top of me, and her hair was all over my face.

"Aria, love, wake up," I grunted, shaking her awake

"What time is it?" she mumbled into my chest, still not moving. I squinted at my watch through my tired eyes.

"It's seven-thirty,"

"Let me sleep . . ."

"Fine, if that's the game you want to play . . ." I said, smirking to myself. I picked her up and ran into the apartment.

"Put me down!"she laughed, helplessly flailing her arms and legs. I dropped her down on the couch. She was laughing hysterically, laying down in a fetal position. When she had calmed down, she sat up and looked at me.

"Well, now that I'm awake, you're going to make coffee, and I'm going to get dressed."

"Sure. Do you want the usual? Soy milk and sugar?"

"Yes," she said, grinning. When she emerged from the bathroom, she was wearing an awfully familiar black dress.

"Didn't you wear that to Alison's funeral?" I asked, referring to the manipulative blond who used to be one of Aria's best friends. She was now in custody for murdering Mona.

"Yeah . . ." she trailed off, her face fell as she began to stare at the floor. "I also wore it to your's," she said quietly, looking up at me, tears in her eyes. I walked over to her and embraced her. She threw her arms around my neck. Then it hit me.

"Aria?"

"Yeah?"

"If I had a funeral . . . then who's in my casket?"

Aria tensed up and stopped breathing for a moment.

"I . . . I don't know," she stuttered. "But we should find out tonight. The casket will be at the church until tomorrow morning."

"Sounds like a plan. Now, what would you like to do?" I asked as I took both of hands, pulling her towards me again.

"First, I want my coffee, and then I just want to lie down with you and watch movies," she said, playing with my hair. I smiled, letting go of her hand as I walked towards the kitchen to make her coffee. I felt a pair of tiny arms wrap around my waist. I twisted around, handing her the coffee cup and hugging her.

"Awe! You guys are like a married couple!" I snapped my head towards the voice.

"Jesus, Caleb! What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I got coffee and bagels, but I guess you already made breakfast."

"Ezra, how did she find out about this?" Toby said as he slumped against the frame of the door.

"I found her unconscious on the side of the street," I replied,verylightly tracing my fingers over the stitched-up gash on her head.

"Jeez, are you okay, Aria?" Caleb asked, concerned when he saw the stitches.

"Yeah, thanks to Ezra and Wren," she said, smiling up at me.

Aria's Point of View

Caleb came up and hugged me. I looked behind me and saw Ezra staring longingly at me, a tint of jealousy in his eyes. Caleb looked over my shoulder, seeing Ezra's facial expression.

"Come and get her back, Mr. Fitz!" Ezra smirked playfully as he pried Caleb off of me. He wrapped his arms around me, nestling his head on top of mine.

"She's mine now!" he exclaimed.

"Not if I get her first!" Toby yelled.

"Okay, okay! Toby gets Spencer, Caleb get's Hanna, and I keep my Z!" I laughed.

"I thought we were going to forget that nickname existed,Pookiebear,"he grinned mischievously.

"Fine, you win!"

"Always do," he smirked. "Here, you can have half of my bagel."

"Okay, thanks."

'"We're going to go see the girls. Should we tell them you're alive, Ezra? I mean, Aria found out," Toby said, a more serious atmosphere settling in the apartment.

Ezra thought for a moment before saying, "Yes, but be sure to tell them not to tell anyone. My "funeral" was just yesterday."

"Okay. We'll come back at around dinner time; we also have some errands to run."

"Okay, see you then."

After Toby and Caleb left, I sat down on the couch to drink my coffee and eat my bagel. Ezra sat beside me. He brushed my hair out of my face and started to place soft kisses on my neck and shoulders.

"Ezra! You're distracting me from my coffee!" I giggled.

"No, your coffee is distracting you from me," he laughed softly, taking the mug from my hands and setting it down on the table.

"Okay, then,Mr. Fitz."

"God, Aria, I missed you so much," he whispered.

After hours of talking, watching our favorite old movies, and ordering Chinese takeout, we both fell asleep in each other's arms. I woke up to two familiar annoying voices.

"Shutup!"Ezra groaned. I rolled off of him and onto the hard floor.

"Ow . . ." I mumbled.

"Are you okay, love?"

"No. This dress is cutting off the circulation in my entire body."

"I'll be right back," he said as he disappeared into the guest room. When he reappeared, he was holding a pair of black leggings and a loose, long-sleeved grey shirt.

"Where did you get these?" I asked.

"You left them at my apartment one time. I just needed something to remind me if you," he sighed. I smiled.

"I love you, Ezra," I said as I leaned in and kissed him softly. The kiss lasted a long time.

"I love you, too."

I heard someone clear their throat. I turned around to face Toby and Caleb.

"Thanks for ruining a perfectly romantic moment, Toby!"

"Yeah, sure. Any time."

After I changed my clothes, I had dinner with Ezra, Toby, and Caleb. We had been talking for hours when I realized the time.

"Ezra, it's eleven o'clock. We should go."

"Okay, here," he said, tossing me a black hoodie. I pulled it on and followed him to his car.

" New car?"

"Yeah. People would recognize my old one."

"I guess that makes sense."

I turned on the radio. "Warning Sign" by Coldplay began to play.

"God, this song . . ." I whispered.

"What about it?"

"I think I've listened to this song every time we've broken up. Well, pretty much just this band."

"I agree with you. I think all I've been listening to this past week have been Coldplay and The Fray, although The Fray brings back a lot of memories."

"B-26," I sighed.

When we reached the church, we walked together down the aisle towards the casket. Squeezing my eyes shut, I lifted the lid. Ezra gasped.

 _"Oh my God . . ."_

 **A/N: Yes, this chapter freaking sucks and it's immensely cheesy in the beginning. But at least I'm actually updating! This story is already on my Wattpad account, which I tend to update more than my Fanfiction account. I will get the chapters up to date soon, I promise. :)**

 **Thanks for reading and bearing with me!**

 **~Jordan**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ezra's Point of View**

I was at complete loss of words. There was no body in the casket. Only a note. I picked it up and carefully unfolded it.

 _You're too late! You thought that I wouldn't guess you're precious English teacher was alive, didn't you? Now break his heart before he really dies. Kisses! -A_

The note slipped from my hand and fluttered to the ground. Aria looked at me, then to the note on the ground. She stooped down to pick it up. Her eyes scanned the page and began to fill with tears.

"Goddamnit!" she yelled, crumpling the note in her hand. "Is A really sick enough to steal a freaking corpse out of a casket?" she hissed. Tears of frustration and sadness began to roll down her cheeks.

"Aria," I said softly, circling my arms around her petite body. I pushed her hood off of her head and buried my face in her hair as I stroked the silky brown curls. I peppered little kisses on her hair and her face, making an attempt to soothe my crying girlfriend.

"What do we do?" she choked out, tracing my face with her delicate fingers. She carefully pushed my hood off of my head, absentmindedly playing with tufts of my hair.

"What we are going to do is we are going to stay with each other. I amnotgoing to ever let you go unless you decide to. And I sure as hell willnotlet A break us apart. Because I love you too much to leave you by yourself with that monster chasing after you. Becauseyouare all I've ever wanted, and I need you. If something were to happen to you . . ."

It was my turn to break down. I tried to keep my composure for Aria's sake, but her tear stained face completely broke me. Soon we were both crying, her into my chest and myself into the crook of her neck.

 _"Oh my God."_

 _"He's alive?"_

I whipped around to see Detective Tanner and a few other police officers, including Toby.

"I'm sorry,"he mouthed.

I quickly attempted to dry my tears, sniffling as I wiped them away.

"Explain to me what's going on here," Tanner finally spoke.

"I . . . I needed to see who was in my casket. When we opened it, there was nothing inside but this note," I said, bending down. I grasped the note and handed it to Tanner. She inspected it carefully.

"Who is A?"

"Someone who has been threatening Aria, Spencer Hastings, Emily Fields, and Hanna Marin for almost two years now. The same person who blackmailed me into staging my own death." I said fiercely. A wouldnotget away with this.

"If this person has been blackmailing you, why haven't you told the police?" Tanner asked expectantly, staring straight at Aria. Aria said nothing; she just stared down at her feet. Tanner sighed before moving on.

"How did this person blackmail you into staging your own death?"

"They threatened . . . to . . . to hurt Aria," I stuttered, pulling Aria even closer to me, hugging her to my chest. She began to cry softly again.

"Aria, love, it's okay, it's okay . . ." I whispered.

Aria's Point of View

I clung to Ezra's side, ignoring the whole conversation with the cops. They knew about A, meaning A would either hurt Ezra, Tanner, or myself.

When the interrogation inside of the church was done, Ezra guided me to the car.

"I'm sorry I told the cops about A," he said apologetically, regret noticeable in his loving blue eyes. I gripped his hand and leaned over, kissing him.

"You did what you had to do," I said.

Ezra drove to Wren's apartment to collect his things. I waited in the car, checking my phone for the first time since the funeral. My home screen was flooded with text messages and missed calls.

Mom: Aria, where are you? I need to talk to you! -Mom

Dad: Aria, please come home, we're starting to get worried! -Dad

Hanna: Aria, are you okay? You just ran out like that. Was it something that lady said? Because I can kill her if you want.

Emily: Are you alright? Spencer, Hanna, and I are having a sleepover. Maybe you can come over, it might help you get your mind off of Ezra.

Spencer: Aria, we're all worried about you! Please come home!

Mike: Aria, Mom and Dad are probably going to send out a search party or something if you don't come home soon. I hope that you're okay . . .

I sighed. I responded to everyone, saying that I was okay and that I just needed to be alone.

I jumped when Ezra slammed his door shut.

"Where are we going?" I asked.

"We're going to go to my apartment," he said, smiling at me. He took my hand over the center console, lacing our fingers together. The drive was silent, but it was a comfortable silence. The only noises were the constant hum of the engine and our steady breathing.

Then my phone decided to ring. It was Hanna. I signed as I picked up.

"Hey, Hanna."

"Aria! Caleb and Toby told us that Ezra's okay. You're with him, right?"

"Yeah, we're actually headed to his apartment right now."

"Do you want me to cover for you?"

"Um, okay. Thanks, Han. Goodbye."

"Bye!"

I called my mom. After a few minutes of concerned motherly-ness, she finally allowed me to go to Hanna's.

When we got to Ezra's apartment complex, he clutched me to his side as we walked up the steps. He took out his keys and unlocked the door.

"God, I'm tired," I said, taking off my hoodie. I groaned as the pull strings got caught in my hair. Ezra helped me untangle them and laughed at my pissed off expression.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing," he laughed. He gently led me to the bed and let me lay down. He lied down beside me and wrapped me in his arms.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too."

 **A/N: Chapter 4! Hope it's a little more enjoyable... XD**

 **~Jordan**


	5. Chapter 5

**Aria**

The rain poured heavily from the sky, slapping loudly onto the large window. I untangled myself from the sheets and blankets that I had been slung comfortably in as I slept. Ezra still had his strong arms wrapped protectively around me. I fumbled with a piece of his slightly messy dark brown hair as I smiled at his peaceful face. His mouth was set in a small smile. He stirred in his sleep, wrapping his arms tighter around me. He laughed softly. I giggled; I remembered when Hardy, his best friend from college, had told me how he laughed in his sleep. My phone rang. I jumped, startled, and Ezra woke up, grunting into my hair.

"Can it wait?" he groaned as he buried his face into my neck.

"Well, it depends on who it is," I said. I picked up my phone to see who was calling. It was Caleb.

"Hey! What's up?"

"Aria, Hanna got arrested!" My mouth dropped open. Alison had actually taken the plea and named Hanna as an accessory?

"Oh my God! I can't believe Alison took the plea . . . when's the trial?"

"Three days. I have to go call the others."

"Okay, goodbye."

"Bye."

"Aria? Are you okay?" Ezra asked, concern lacing his voice. I shook my head no, pulling the comforter over my head.

"Alison took the plea," I mumbled. The comforter was lifted from my face. Ezra gazed at me sympathetically.

"Hey, It's going to be okay! She'll get out, she's a strong girl," Ezra cooed. My phone rang again. I picked it up and checked the caller ID. My stomach plummeted.

 _Mom._

"Hey, Mom."

"Honey, I know you're with Ezra. It's all over the news, and so is Hanna's arrest."

"Oh, um, okay . . . I'll be home in twenty minutes."

"You're not in trouble, I just need you to come home."

"Okay, bye."

I hung up, breathing in a sigh of relief. "Ezra, can you drive me home? My car is parked somewhere around town. I'll find it later."

"Of course. Go on and get ready," he said, swinging his legs over the side of the bed. I quickly threw on some clothes and brushed my teeth. As I ran a brush through the ratty snarls in my hair, I wondered how Ezra could even stand to be near me in the morning. I headed towards the door and pulled on my ivory flower-printed trench-style raincoat. I smiled at the memory this raincoat held. Ezra opened the door and we walked down the hallway and down the stairs. We laughed as we sprinted through the pouring rain. By the time we were in the car, my hair was already soaking and plastered to my face.

We had driven the fifteen minutes to my house. Ezra walked me up to the door.

"Hey, you can come inside. My parents won't mind."

"Aria, I'm not sure that's such a good id-"

 _"Please?"_

"Fine," he sighed, hitting me playfully on the arm.

I opened the door to find my mom camped out on the couch with a tube of barbecue Pringles and _Jeopardy!_ on the television.

"Oh, hey Aria! And . . . Ezra! Are you okay, honey?" she walked up and hugged Ezra.

 _"Mom!"_ I giggled.

"Yeah, well he's the best boyfriend of yours that you've ever had. He's kind of like family to me. He's better than that Jake kid."

I saw a spark of jealousy in Ezra's eyes when my mom mentioned Jake. I grasped his hand, hoping it would make him feel more comfortable. His face softened. I led him over to the couch and turned on the news.

"Ezra Fitz, believed to be brutally murdered, was found alive last night," a blond, fake-tanned reporter said blandly to the camera. I switched off the television.

"I can't deal with this right now," I groaned. I trudged up the stairs to my bedroom and shut the door. I was tired of the press, of the police force, of the interrogations, the A threats, everything. Tears of frustration spilled onto my cheeks. I picked up a pillow and furiously threw it at the door . . . after someone opened it. Ezra picked up the pillow and closed the door behind him.

"Dammit, Aria," he mumbled. "Hey, are you alright?" He walked over to the bed and sat beside me, hugging me gently.

"Yeah, I'm just really frustrated about all of the crap in my life."

Ezra paused. His brows knitted together as he bit his bottom lip. He fidgeted with the tassels on a decorative pillow. Finally, he spoke.

"Aria, don't you think that some of this is because of me?"

"No! Why would I think that?"

"I'm the reason you didn't have a normal high school experience, Aria."

I couldn't stop the tears from running down my face and onto Ezra's lap. I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"Ezra, you are _not_ the reason that I didn't have a normal high school experience! I've been running from A ever since I got back from Iceland! Don't you dare blame yourself for that! You are the only good thing in my life right now, and I know where this conversation is leading to. You're going to leave me, and-"

"Aria," he whispered. "I am not leaving you, I'm not making that mistake again," he said firmly, determination clearly evident in his voice. He hugged me tighter and stroked my hair. The door opened quietly. I turned around to see my mother. She looked at my tearstained face, then at Ezra.

"Honey, are you okay?"

I nodded, sniffling a little bit.

"Thanks, Ezra," she whispered gratefully. Once she left, Ezra pulled away and kissed my nose. The simple gesture made me smile.

"There's that beautiful smile," he grinned. He continued to cradle me in his arms. His warm hand met he side of my face.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. I looked at the screen and my happiness disappeared completely.

 _Tick-tock, Aria! You've got until next Monday, or a bullet goes straight through him again. XO, -A_

Ezra snatched my phone out of my hand. His face grew red with anger.

"I'm not leaving you, Aria. And A is not going to change that."


	6. Chapter 6

**Aria**

I walked out the front door at seven o'clock, hours after Ezra left. I needed to see him. My parents and Mike had gone to an overnight lacrosse event, so I was home alone. Since everyone left, I had had multiple panic attacks.

I walked down the hallway towards his apartment. I felt sick with fear; my knees were weak and I felt a little nauseous. I tentatively knocked the door with my still slightly shaking hand. A few seconds later, the door swung open.

"Aria!" Ezra's oceanic eyes immediately brightened, then just as quickly dulled when he saw my facial expression. "Hey, what's wrong?" he asked gently, worry written on his face. He enveloped my into a a warm hug. He smelled of the refreshing scent of his shampoo and aftershave, indicating he had just taken a shower. His damp hair tickled my face. Against my will, tears silently began to spring out of my eyes. I sniffed, and Ezra pulled away. He wiped my tears away with his thumb and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear.

"Aria?" His eyes revealed a mixture of concern, expectancy, and love. Unable to contain my tears, I broke down into his arms. I buried my face in his chest, muffled chokes and cries escaping my lips. We remained standing there for a few minutes. After I had calmed down, Ezra led me to the couch.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked sincerely. He held me close to him as he rubbed soothing circles on my back.

"I had three panic attacks today," I whispered.

"Aria," he said softly, "You're safe here, I promise."

"Ezra, I'm scared! In the past year, A has gone from merely scaring us to killing people! I barely feel safe anymore, and I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you! What am I supposed to do? Break your heart or let A kill you? Because I won't be able to live with myself if either of those happened! Do you know how horrible this is? I love you too much for you to get hurt, and everything bad that's ever happened to you is all my–" I didn't even finish my sentence as I erupted into another fit of tears. I began to hyperventilate. Tiny black spots began to appear in my vision.

"Aria? Aria!" Ezra swore under his breath as I began shaking violently and wrapped my limbs around Ezra in a death grip. Ezra clutched me to him and raced to the kitchen. He set me down on the floor and rummaged around. He knelt down in front of me with a brown paper bag. I began to breath in and out of it, all the while Ezra comforting me.

I was finally breathing normally again. I stood up and walked over to the bed. Ezra sat next to me and I snuggled into him.

"I'm sorry," I whispered, slinking away from his grasp. "You deserve so much better than me." Ezra's jaw clenched and his eyes were ablaze with a blue fire in them that I had never seen before. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration and he grasped my hands.

"Don't you ever believe that, Aria. If anything, you deserve better thanme," he said firmly. His eyes never left mine. I curled up in a ball, not really sure how to react. Ezra scooted over to me and wrapped his arms protectively around me. I relaxed and hugged him back.

He slipped the tie off of the long braid at he back of my head. His long, nimble fingers gently combed through the plait. He pushed my hair over one shoulder and softly kissed the exposed skin.

"I will not leave you. And that is final. I love you too much. And I would gladly and willingly take another bullet for you. I survived the first one," he said, lifting up his shirt a little bit to reveal his bullet wound he had received nine months prior. I bent down and placed three subtle kisses on the shiny pink skin that was his six-inch scar. He lifted me up and held me to his chest, softly caressing my back and kissing me tenderly. My stomach got the sensation of monarch butterflies in Mexico.

"You have absolutely no idea how in love with you I am," he said as he moved his hands up and down my arms. His right hand went up to caress my face, and his left wrapped around my waist, pulling me impossibly closer to him. His gentle lips moved over my neck, my shoulders, and my collarbone. The emotional need was evident in his actions. He stopped for a moment. He looked up at me, and the look in his eyes captured my very sure.

"Are you okay with me doing this?" he asked. His still-damp hair was unkempt and hanging in his eyes.

"Absolutely."

"I love you," he murmured into my ear before the night began.


	7. Chapter 7

The past few days had gone by in a blur, each day as miserable and empty as the next. With Hanna being arrested and Ezra "rising from the dead," people were constantly bombarding me with questions.

I had been extremely on edge as well. I never felt happy anymore, I was too scared of what A might do next. Ezra was always there for me. He barely left my side and calmed me down after all of the panic attacks and metal breakdowns.

I was sitting down at a secluded table at the Brew, a soy latte in one hand and a pencil in the other, scribbling furiously on a paper for my AP English class. I set the coffee down and felt a soft, warm hand lay on top of mine.

"What are you writing?" he asked, smiling warmly.

"Something for AP English,"I replied. Ezra looked down. He looked . . . bothered. Then I realized why. Ezra was always a little bit sensitive about the fact that he was my former AP English teacher. I rubbed his hand and he looked up.

"Can you drive me to the courthouse in an hour?" I asked, changing the subject. Alison and Hanna's trial was today.

"Yeah, of course!" he smiled and continued to watch me write. Before we knew it, an hour had passed.

The way there wasn't our usual calm, quiet car ride. I was scared out of my mind. I kneaded my hands and fumbled with my simple gold ring. Ezra squeezed my hand.

"Hey, Hanna's going to be fine," he cooed. He opened the door for me and wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me up the steps towards the dreaded courthouse.

I sat down on the bench with Spencer and Emily. Next to Emily was a distraught Caleb, who's hair was a mess and eyes were puffy and red. Toby stood by the large window, his eyes fixed on Spencer. And Ezra sat beside me, clasping my hand in his. The trial lasted a long time. Things were looking good for Alison and Hanna. Well, like I said, _looking._

"Have you reached the verdict?" the judge asked. It sounded more like a statement than a question.

A member of the jury stood up. "We have, Your Honor," she paused. "In the case of the common wealth versus Alison DiLaurentis, we, the jury, find the defendant guilty of murder in the first degree." Our eyes widened in horror as the bailiffs cuffed Alison. The judge's gavel slammed the gavel block, calling an end to the trial. Tears silently poured down Alison's face as she tilted her head up at the ceiling. We stood up, watching as Alison was led away. I whirled around to see Detective Tanner silently nudge the officers towards us.

 **Ezra**

I continued to stare at the stand in shock. All of a sudden, I heard the painful gasps and a whimper come from beside me. I turned around to see officers tightening handcuffs around Aria's tiny wrists. Spencer and Emily started to tear up and breathe heavily as the handcuffs were closed around their wrists. I stood there in absolute terror as Aria looked at me, her eyes wide and tears silently streaming down her face. It took me a few moments for my brain to finally register what was going on.

"Aria! _No!_ "I screamed. I bolted towards her, but was stopped by more officers. One of them was Toby.

"Aria!No, _stop! She didn't do anything wrong!"_ I was a complete mess; screaming, crying, struggling against the officers.

"Ezra! _Ezra!_ Calm down!" Toby yelled.

"How are you not affected by this?" I growled. "Spencer was justarrestedand all you can do is restrain me?"

"Believe me, Ezra, I _am_ affected by this . . ." Toby dropped the good-cop attitude and fell to his knees, his face buried in his hands. I stopped struggling and helped Toby up.

"It's okay, we'll find a way to get them out," Caleb said, determination in his voice as he walked towards us.

 **Aria**

I sat in the back of the PD van with Spencer, Emily, and Hanna. We were all holding hands, straining against the cuffs and restraints.

"When we get there, they're probably going to split us up," Hanna said sadly.

"What's it like?" Emily asked softly.

"Do you want me to sugarcoat it or tell you the truth?"

"Well, if I'm going to get through it, I need to know what to expect."

"The second they slam that door shut, you feel ashamed," Hanna began.

"This is crazy! We didn't do _anything!_ "I yelled.

"They don't care about that! They treat you like a criminal. And it's hard to remember that you're not one," she paused, "the first night's that hardest. You're locked away from everything and everyone you ever cared about. And when they turn those lights off, it is the _loneliest_ feeling you can ever imagine."

"On second thought I could have used a thick coat of sugar," Emily mumbled.

"You can't be ready for how it feels, Em," Hanna said, raising her eyebrows. "It's hard not to give up on hope."

"Guys, they can take everything from us, but they can't take us away from each other," Spencer said firmly. "I don't care how far apart I am from you guys, but I will _still_ be with you," she said, an edge to her voice.

"I love you guys," said Hanna.

"I love you," I murmured.

Seconds later, the van began to shake.

"Ow!" we all screamed as we slammed into the walls and each other.

"What the hell was that?" Hanna yelled.

"I think we just had an accident," Emily said.

"Yeah, I did . . . in my _pants!_ "I snapped.

We heard footsteps crunching in the gravel outside.

"Guys, get back! Get back!" Spencer screamed. The doors busted open, revealing a hooded figure with a gun.

 _A._

They shot the gun, and clouds of tranquilizers filled the air.

 **Ezra**

It was three in the morning. I spent most of the evening at home, alone in front of the television with _It Happened One Night_ in the DVD player and a glass of the strongest Scotch I owned. I wasn't paying attention to the movie at all; I had been thinking about Aria so much that my head hurt.

I heard my phone ringing somewhere in the couch. I fumbled around in the cushions until I found the shrilling iPhone. _Rosewood Police Department,_ the caller ID read. Had Aria and the girls been released?

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Ezra Fitz?"

"Um, yes, that's me."

"Well, you were the third contact in Aria Montgomery's emergency contact list. Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, and Spencer Hastings were abducted last night."

I was silent for a few moments before the line went dead. _Abducted?_ Aria was freaking _kidnapped?_

I called Caleb and then Toby.

"Dude, why the _hell_ are you calling me at three in the morning?"

"I need you at my apartment. _Now._ "

 **A/N: Hello! Yay, update! I know you guys have already heard enough about this stuff, but I need to put it in here for the sake of this story. Anyways, I hope you liked it, because it involved a LOT of script translation.**

 **Ugh, there was no Ezria tonight . . . :(**

 **Thank you!**

 **~Jordan**


	8. Chapter 8

**Aria**

I woke up in the soft, comfortable confines of my sheets and blankets.

 _Was it all just a nightmare?_

I slowly slipped out of the covers. I looked down to realize that I was still in an orange jumpsuit. Confused, I got out of the bed and shuffled over to my window. But something was different about all of my framed photographs. I picked up a family photo and gasped in horror at the sight. The subjects in the picture weren't people.

They were _dolls._

Still utterly confused about what was going on, I opened my closet to find something to wear other than the stiff, scratchy jumpsuit. The door opened to nothing but a concrete wall. Terrified, I bolted towards my bedroom door.

It was locked.

 **Ezra**

Muffled screams forced their way up my throat and into Aria's favorite pale grey sweater. The thick, soft material was now saturated with the hot tears falling from my eyes. What was happening to her? She needed someone; I just wanted to comfort her, to hold her to me and never let go. To wrap my arms around her petite body, to lift her up as I kissed her tears from her beautiful hazel eyes . . .

"Ezra? _Ezra!_ " Caleb yelled, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Ezra . . . we'll find them. She's going to be okay. We'll find Aria. Now come on, we're going to my apartment," Toby said as he and Caleb helped me stand. The sweater fell from my lap.

"Is that Aria's?" Caleb asked sympathetically.

"Yes," I answered meekly, burying my face into the wool. It smelled very pungently of her; her subtle floral perfume, the fresh, clean scent of her shower gel, a faint trace of coffee, and chamomile tea.

Tears welled in my eyes as I climbed into Caleb's car. Toby turned on the radio and dialed it to an alternative rock station, as he knew that was my favorite genre.

 _Happiness feels a lot like sorrow—_

 _"Turn it off!"_ I screamed, continuing to sob into Aria's sweater.

"Jesus, Ezra, I get it, you don't like the song," Toby grumbled, letting out an exasperated sigh.

"Th-that's _our song!"_ I cried. I screamed into Aria's sweater.

" _Ezra!_ Get a hold of yourself! Get yourself together, she'll be okay. We're going to find her," Caleb said in an attempt to comfort me.

"All I can think about is what that monster is doing to them . . ." I whimpered.

 **Caleb**

I had _never_ seen Ezra this upset before. He was a mess. His usually sparkling, kind eyes were dull and lifeless, his face beet-red from screaming and crying, His dark brown hair was messy and disheveled from his hands running through it. He looked . . . broken. Lost without his Aria. Tears came to my eyes when I thought of what Hanna was going through.

As I pulled out of the parking lot, I heard a strangled cry from behind me.

"Wh-what if I-I never see her again?" he choked. "I could never live with myself if she . . . if she . . ." he couldn't even finish his sentence. I heard his brokenhearted cries. It was the most heartbreaking thing to watch him suffer like this.

 **Ezra**

I collapsed onto Toby's leather couch. There were no more tears left to shed. I felt as if an emotional mix of sorrow, frustration, confusion, exhaustion, and rage had been painted onto the head of a harpoon and hurled into my heart.

But there was also determination . . . determination to find Aria.

"Hey, Ezra, do you want any specific pizza toppings?" Toby called from the kitchen.

"Green peppers," I said without thinking. Green peppers; Aria's favorite. I let out a shaky breath, running my hands through my hair.

"Hey, buddy, you okay?" Caleb asked, clearly concerned.

"No . . . I miss her."

"I miss Hanna, too," Caleb looked up, tears welling in his eyes. Sighing, he kicked off his worn red Vans. He picked one up and threw it at the blank wall.

"I don't know how Toby is holding himself together," he mumbled. As if on cue, Toby left the kitchen and slowly sat down beside me. His facial expression was identical to that of a lost, sick puppy who had been kicked in the stomach.

"This is all my fault . . . I became a cop so I could protect Spencer. All I did was ruin our relationship. I-I should have stopped the other cops! I should have-"

"Toby! _None_ of this is your fault! If anything, it's Alison's, or A's, or whoever the hell decided to kill Mona!" Caleb yelled.

There was a knock at the door. Caleb stood up to answer it. It was the pizza.

"One with green peppers, one with meat," Caleb announced as he placed the boxes on the table.

"Green peppers . . . Ar . . . Aria's favorite," I murmured.

"What are we going to do? How are we going to find the girls?" Toby asked, picking a sausage bit off of his pizza slice and popping it into his mouth.

"Well, I could track the PD van's signal. Find out where the girls could be," Caleb reasoned as he chewed absentmindedly on his pinkie nail.

I smiled and laughed happily to myself. "Actually, Caleb, that could work!"

 **Aria**

Spencer, Emily, Hanna, and I slowly walked towards the curly blond-haired masked girl playing the piano. Her long fingers danced across the keys, playing a chilling melody. The room we were in was an exact replica of Alison's living room; even the piano was the same.

Slowly, the girl's hands moved from the piano keys to her mask, carefully beginning to peel it off.

 _"Mona?"_ we all said in unison, utterly astonished at the sight before us.

"No, guys, it's me! Alison!" she said as a very fake, overly enthusiastic smile spread across her face. She stood in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her horribly dyed blond hair. "I haven't changed _that_ much, have I?"

 **Ezra**

"Guys, come here! I think I found a possible location on the van!" Caleb exclaimed enthusiastically. Toby and I bolted up from the couch, running over to where Caleb sat in front of his über-hacker like computer setup.

"Can you find a way to hack into the traffic cameras?" I asked, praying that the information we had was real.

"I am one step ahead of you. I'm downloading that footage right now."

A few minutes later, a window popped up onto the screen. _Download Complete,_ it read. Caleb clicked on it and played the camera footage. About ten seconds of time-lapsed footage played until we thought we had what we were looking for.

Like I said, _thought._

"What the _hell?_ " Caleb exclaimed. There was no traffic footage. It was a clip from _Steamboat Willie_ of Goofy driving his car down the road.

I brought my hands to my head, pulling on handfuls of my hair.

"A's mocking us with a damncartoon." I said in a frustrated tone. I angrily paced back and forth. In a moment of rage, I kicked Toby's wall. I ignored the pain radiating through my leg.

"Do you need ice for that?" Toby questioned with a concerned expression.

In that moment, my patience snapped. "I don't need ice! I need to find Aria! And we've got nothing! _Nothing!"_

 **A/N: Hello! Once again, sorry for the content in this chapter, as we've already seen it on the show so many times, but I have to say, this new Ezreb (+Toby) bromance is one of my new favorite friendships! I know Ezra was absolutely NOT this dramatic, but I think it's a lot more romantic. I know I've been writing in Ezra's POV a LOT, but I like to explore Ezra's more romantic side, ya know what I mean?**

 **All that aside, thank you for reading . . . And for the amount of reads this story has gotten!**

 **~Jordan**


	9. Chapter 9

"Ready . . ."

I held the camera up, ready to click the button at any second. We were about to put our escape plan into action.

"Now!"

I snapped the "picture." Showers of sparks rained down from the candelabras and onto the masked figure, who we now knew was named Charles.

"Let's go!"

"Let's get the hell out of here!"

"Hurry!"

"Let's go! Let's go! Go, go, go!"

I kicked off my shiny black heels I had been forced into for the "prom" and continued to run down the winding pathways, Emily, Hanna and Mona in tow.

"Where's Spencer?" I yelled, frantically searching for my best friend.

"I'll go look for her, you guys go!"

When Mona reappeared with Spencer, we sprinted towards what we thought was the exit. We bust through the heavy metal door. The cool April breeze tickled my face. I hadn't taken a fresh breath of air in almost a week. My joy and feeling of freedom barely lasted two seconds.

We were still trapped.

A ten-foot high chain-link fence surrounded us.

"Come on, we can climb it!" I exclaimed, making a beeline for the fence.

"Stop!" Spencer screamed. I stopped running just as my fingers were about to reach the fence. The outdoor lights snapped on and I heard a sizzling noise. I looked up to see a sign.

Warning! Electric fence, 10,000 volts

Well . . . _Shit._

 **Ezra**

Looking for the girls had begun to pay off. The only problem was that it had still been three days since we had found anything to do with them.

The police force and Caleb had tracked down the van to the Campbell Apple Farm. I had been so hopeful that I would see Aria again that I followed the squad cars to the farm with Caleb.

But, as Spencer says, hope breeds eternal misery.

They did, however, find A's lair. There were ancient televisions hooked up to a computer system, displaying security footage. Hanna was yelling directly at the camera, demanding that Caleb not be hurt if he came looking for her.

"Hanna, it won't do good to yell! There's no use!" a recognizable girl with a yellow ruffle top and blond hair reasoned.

"Mona, shut up!"

Mona was _alive?_

"I am not Mona! I am Alison! Alison DiLaurentis!"

"You're not Alison, you're Mona! And why not? There's five of us and one of him, her, it, bitch!"

Sirens began blaring, causing the girls to cover their ears. Aria's facial expression was one of terror, pain, and sadness. It broke me more than before, if that were even possible.

I slinked off into my car. They had no idea where this place was. They had no idea how to save them. All they knew was that they were being tortured. I heard the officers mumbling something about Andrew Campbell being a major suspect. I balled up my fists. Andrew could be creepy, I would know because he was in my AP English class. He was always watching and trying to socialize with Aria and Spencer; at one point he got Spencer addicted to drugs.

"Goddammit!" I exclaimed, running my hands through my hair.

If the police couldn't find Aria, then I would.

 **Aria**

We hid under Spencer's dress, hiding from the thunder and shivering from the cold rain. Mona and Hanna were emotionless, Emily and Spencer had that look that you get when you feel like you're dying plastered on their faces. I just sat there, wedged in between Spencer and Hanna, softly crying into my red and black prom dress.

I woke up to the sun shining in my face. Hunger clawed at my stomach and my throat was dry from thirst. We sat in a circle all day, occasionally telling stories of the happier times. Emily cried over Maya, Mona wanted to know everything about Mike, we comforted Spencer about Toby, and Hanna continued to scream at the security cameras.

I began to hallucinate. Multiple times, I thought I saw Ezra.

It was now dark, and we sat in a circle, our bodies caked with dirt and our throats raw from screaming and thirst.

"How long can a person live without food?" Hanna croaked.

"Three weeks," Spencer and Mona mumbled simultaneously.

"But water is a different story, some people can only go a few days without it," Spencer sighed.

"You know you're dying when you don't feel hungry or thirsty anymore; it means your organs are shutting down," Mona said.

"Well, mine are definitely working," I muttered sarcastically. "I'm so thirsty I seriously consider drinking my own pee."

"I could totally suck on a pee ice cube right now," Hanna laughed weakly.

"I'd lick sweat off of a jockstrap," Emily challenged. I gagged in disgust.

"Okay, Em, you win!" Spencer snorted.

"I don't know how long I can handle this," I sniffed.

Mona reached over and grasped my hand. "You can handle it, Aria. We all can."

It wasn't long until sleep took over our exhausted, beat-down bodies.

I awoke to the sound of the huge metal doors creaking open.

"Bonjour! Good morning! Buenos Dias!" an overly-enthusiastic robotic voice called. "Please enter and follow the lighted pathway!"

 **Ezra**

Caleb, Toby, and I sat at a table in The Brew. Caleb was studying his laptop. He had managed to hook up the security cameras to his computer with the computer setup in A's lair. Unfortunately, the footage didn't give away any possible location.

"Guys, I think they escaped!" Caleb exclaimed, jumping up from his seat. Toby and I rushed over. The girls ran down the hallways and out of the building. Unfortunately, there was a massive chain-link fence surrounding the property. The doors slammed shut.

"Dammit! So they're stuck there? This is seriously the most messed up thing I have ever heard of!" Caleb yelled, slamming his fists on the table. He put the footage on fast-forward. The girls spent hours shivering in the rain, and even more hours huddled in elaborate prom dresses, sitting in a circle. The doors swung open.

Caleb! Stop there!" Toby commanded. Caleb played the footage.

"Bonjour! Good morning! Buenos Dias! Please enter and follow the lighted pathway!"

 **A/N: Well, hello! New update! My next update will probably be sooner than usual. I already have another story idea for when I finish this one, but I probably won't finish this until the end of the summer. I'm thinking of keeping it to 20-30 parts.**

 **Who's excited for PLL this week? I'm still pissed that there wasn't a new episode last week, so this week's episode better be good.**

 **Thank you so much for reading. :)**

 **~Jordan**


	10. Chapter 10

**Aria**

I couldn't believe it. I was trapped in my "bedroom." Again. But this time hooked up to a machine.

"Choose one or they all suffer!" The calm, overly-enthusiastic voice commanded.

"Five . . . four . . . three . . . two . . ." I squeezed my eyes shut and threw my hand forward, pulling at a random lever. I heard Emily's piercing scream echo from afar as she was electrocuted. I was released from the machine. I stumbled over to my bed and screamed into my pillow. Tears soaked through the fabric and ran down my face.

 _I was just forced to hurt my best friend._

I threw myself down on the bed and sobbed into my hands. I ended up crying myself to sleep that night.

I was woke up in the middle of the night to the sound of running feet and my rattling door. The door burst open.

"Aria!" he screamed, barreling into my "room." He gathered me into his arms, nuzzling his face into my hair.

"E-Ezra . . ." I said weakly. He quickly pulled away, reaching for my face frantically as if to see if I was real. His ocean-blue eyes swam with tears as he cupped my face.

"I thought I lost you," he whispered.

The door opened. I lifted my head from Ezra's arms. A was standing there with a gun. They lunged forward and held it to Ezra's head.

 _"No!"_

My eyes snapped open and I bolted up, taking in my surroundings.

"Just a dream, it was just a dream . . ." I whispered to myself. I continued to cry, my eyes stinging as I did so. What if my dream became a reality? What if, upon some miracle, Ezra were to show up? What if A hurt him? What if A trapped him down here and tortured him?

I made my way over to my door where a plate of food was set.

 _I get to eat today,_ I thought. For the past three weeks after our escape attempt, we had been locked in our rooms and never let out. I had been given one meal every other day. But nothing would satisfy my hunger for long, as my vegetarian diet-accustomed body rejected the meat.

I fumbled with a piece of bacon until finally consuming it. I finished the breakfast and set the plate down on the desk. I gulped down the glass of water, feeling the cold liquid soothe my dry throat.

I slipped back down under the covers, my sore eyes shutting immediately.

I was awoken by two chimes echoing through the room. I looked around to find a bottle of pink hair dye and a DVD with a note attached to it.

 _Want to know how thing's are going back at home? Play me. -A_

I inserted the disc into the DVD player and played it.

My mom was laying in bed, crying softly. She was flipping through a photo album and eating Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey, which she knew was my favorite. I looked away; I couldn't watch my mother in so much pain.

It then switched over to Mike. He was throwing things around the house, screaming at my father.

"She's _gone,_ Dad! Aria was _kidnapped,_ and you act like _nothing_ has happened! Do you even _care?"_ he screamed, breaking down into tears.

The most heartbreaking image of Ezra flashed across the screen. He was full-on sobbing into my favorite sweater. The door to his apartment swung open to reveal Toby and Caleb. They ran over to him, helping him stand up.

"Ezra . . . we'll find them. She's going to be okay. We'll find Aria. Now come on, we're going to my apartment," Toby said as he and Caleb helped him stand. The sweater fell from his lap.

"Is that Aria's?" Caleb asked sympathetically.

"Yes," he answered meekly, burying his face deeper into the wool. Tears welled in my eyes. I had never in my life seen someone in so much pain.

The video stopped and the DVD came out of the player. I took the disc and snapped it in two.

"I will _kill_ you for what you are doing to our families!" I screamed, jabbing my index finger in the direction of the camera. Fuming, I stalked over and picked up the hair dye.

 _Use it or you'll get a SURPRISE! -A_

"I am _not_ your doll!" I threw the dye against the wall and pushed everything off of the desk. The sudden yet familiar feeling of claustrophobia washed over me. I began to hyperventilate, inhaling huge gulps of oxygen and exhaling harshly. I collapsed onto my bed, my whole body shaking as bile rose in my throat, expelling the meat I ate for breakfast. It wasn't long before the hazy spots appeared before my eyes and everything went black.

When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was another message scrawled on the TV screen.

 _Use the dye or you lose it all. -A_

Confused, I moved my hand to my hair, only to realize it had been raggedly chopped to right below my chin. The dark brown locks of hair that used to fall to the middle of my back were in a pile on my pillow.

All I could think about was that A had a pair of _scissors_ close to my neck.

The door creaked open, and an annoying, jovial voice came through the speakers.

"Please proceed to Ali's room and prepare for arrival!"

I growled in annoyance. The overly-joyful voice preparing us for our next form of torture was the equivalent to Effie Trinket announcing the Hunger Games.

I hesitantly walked out of the room, looking around the hallways. Spencer, Hanna, and Emily were also emerging from their rooms, empty, lifeless expressions on their faces. Without words, we ran over to each other, gathering in a tight hug.

"I-I don't want to talk about what we just went through," Hanna mumbled.

"Yeah, me neither," Emily agreed. We all entered the room decorated to look exactly like Alison's. Boxes were everywhere, filled with her personal belongings.

"I'm guessing we have to help unpack," Emily sighed as she began to dig around in one of the boxes. We began to comb through all of the stuff. Our things were in the boxes, too. I picked up Pigtunia, my beloved stuffed pig puppet my dad had given me when I was a child, and squeezed it tight to my chest. It smelled like home.

"Hey, guys, did you know I won an Etch-A-Sketch contest when I was in the third grade?" Spencer said, smiling a little as she picked up the toy from the box.

"Of course you did," Hanna said sarcastically.

"Yeah, some kids made some really pretty pictures!" she quickly twisted the knobs as she began to draw something. She held up the Etch-A-Sketch for us to see.

 _Charles is a DiLaurentis._

 **A/N: Okay, so I feel like absolute shit for not updating this. I have six more chapters that I need to upload . . . hang in there.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ezra**

"Thanks for meeting us," Caleb said as Alison slipped into the backseat. Alison had been released from prison after the police found out that Mona was alive. She was under twenty-four-seven police protection, so we had to fool Tanner with a fake call from A.

"Well, I'm going to do anything to find my friends," she sighed. Caleb reached over the seat and handed her a box. She opened it, revealing a pair of shiny black boots.

"What are these, a 'welcome home' gift?" she said with a hint of sarcasm tainting her voice.

"They have a GPS tracker in them, so we know where you are at all times," I explained.

"Well, you know what they say, give a girl a new pair of shoes and she can take on the world," she sighed.

After running through the plan one more time, Alison exited the car and went to drive the silver Chevy like A had instructed her to. As soon as she had driven a reasonable distance, I began to to drive, trailing her slowly.

"Alright, let's go," I said, shakily letting out a breath.

"Dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun, dun-dun _dun,"_ Caleb began to sing "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor.

"Dude, what the _hell_ are you doing?"

"I don't know, just trying to lighten the mood, I guess."

I scoffed as I continued driving, the classic motivation song now stuck in my head. _Dammit._

"She's turning onto the highway; Northbound," Caleb instructed with a more serious tone. "Hey, don't get too close, okay? If we can see her, A can see us."

"This better not be a colossal mistake. If we lose Ali—"

"We're not losing anyone! Not Ali, not anyone! I promised Hanna's mom I would get the girls back, and I don't plan on breaking that promise," he rambled, starting to show signs of freaking out.

For the next few minutes, the car was dead silent except for Caleb's instructions.

"Wait, why isn't she moving?" Caleb asked, his brows knitting together in frustration. I stopped driving and looked over at Caleb's MacBook. Sure enough, the little icon on the map that represented Alison wasn't moving.

"What could have happened?" I ran my hands through my hair. What if A had taken her, too? There would be a very slim chance of us finding the girls, not to mention Kenneth DiLaurentis would most likely murder Caleb, Toby and I in the middle of the night.

Concentrating as hard as I could, I started driving towards the other car. The car was at a dead stop and the trunk was open. Caleb looked into the window, looking for Alison.

"Ali's not here," he said, panic creeping into his voice. I walked over to the open trunk to see Alison's clothes and a card. I opened the card, and a pre-recorded message began to play.

"Put on the clothes or they all die!" I flinched, dropping the card to the ground.

"Ezra, come here! I found something!" Caleb called from the woods. I followed his voice to find him standing with the flashlight built into his phone aimed at a lump of shiny black material.

 _Alison's boots._

"Caleb, they put these here for a reason! They're pointing us to her!" Caleb and I proceeded to run in the direction her shoes were pointing.

"Ali? Ali! Alison!" we called as we ran. We burst through the trees and into a massive clearing. Alison was there in a yellow top. _The_ yellow top.

"Oh my God, you're here!" she exclaimed, running over to us.

"Do you know where the girls are?" I asked frantically, running my hands through my hair.

"No, but I think they're somewhere around here," she paused as if she was listening for something. "Do you guys hear that?"

I cocked my head to the side, trying to hear the noise Alison had mentioned. I could hear the very faint noises of alarms going off. Smoke began to rise from the ground and the stench of burning rubber wafted through the air. Alison bent down and cleared the leaves away, revealing a grated vent.

"Something's burning!" Alison exclaimed, breathing heavily.

"Guys, over here!" I screamed as I cleared the prickly foliage away from two heavy metal doors. I could hear rustling and coughing from inside.

"Aria!" I screamed as Caleb and I frantically tried to pry the doors open. I could hear her wheezing and coughing on the thick smoke.

"I heard Hanna!" Caleb screamed.

"Alison, help me with the door! Caleb, call 911!"

The doors busted open, revealing five choking girls, sprinting as if their lives depended on it, which they probably did. Aria stopped running. She began to look around frantically. Her hazel eyes, which were usually sparkling and full of life, were now dull and empty and wide with fright. I ran over to her and gathered her into my arms, picking her up from the ground. She threw her arms around my neck and wrapped her legs around my waist. She sobbed violently into the crook of my neck. I shushed softly into her ear and stroked her back.

"I'm here, I'm here . . . I thought I lost you!"

"You found me," she whispered, pulling away to look at me, tears falling onto my skin.

"Yeah, I found you," I replied breathlessly, kissing her with all of the passion that I could muster.

The cops were there by then, along with the fire brigade and two ambulances. We all watched in shock as the paramedics carried a sixth girl from the imprisonment on a stretcher. She had messily dyed blond hair and a sooty yellow top on. I looked over and saw another paramedic checking Mona's vitals.

 _Who was the other girl?_

I was interrupted from my thoughts by Aria struggling to get down. I gently set her down on the ground.

"Hey, love, are you okay?" I bent down to her level, holding both of her hands.

"No . . . I'm hungry and thirsty and exhausted and I need you . . ." she broke down into another fit of tears. I wrapped her into another tight embrace.

"Do you need me to take you home?" I asked gently. It wasn't until then that I realized that her hair was chopped to her shoulders and dyed with pink streaks. I reached out and took a tendril in between my fingers, examining it before letting it slip from my hand. Aria simply nodded her head. I stood up and she clutched my arm, her eyes darting everywhere.

"Aria, it's okay. No one can hurt you now," I said as I let her slide into the backseat.

Caleb walked over to us, Hanna locked into his embrace. Hanna's expression was identical to Aria's; one of sheer terror and pain.

"Ezra, I'll drive. You can go be with Aria." I gave Caleb an appreciative nod as I got into the back with Aria. She immediately snuggled into me, and I wrapped my arms around her, pulling her as close to me as I could. All I could think about was the torture she had gone through in the past month. I couldn't stand the thought of my Aria going through something so painful.


	12. Chapter 12

**Aria**

"Oh my God! Aria!" My mother screamed the second Ezra walked in with me. She pulled me out of his grasped and enveloped me in a bone-crushing hug. My father and Mike soon joined. Mom motioned Ezra over, and he bent down and wrapped his arms around my waist. I squirmed, attempting to get out of the massive group hug.

"C-claustrophobia," I stuttered, breathing heavily. My family reluctantly let go of me.

"I'm just going to go take a shower and go to bed. Oh . . . Mom? Can I sleep down here? I don't think I can ever sleep in that room again after what happened."

"Sweetie, of course you can," she replied, smiling warmly at me. I trudged upstairs to my bedroom—my _actual bedroom._ I felt sick remembering all that had happened in the replica.

I opened the door the my bathroom, almost surprised to see that it actually opened to my bathroom and not a slab of concrete. I undressed myself and looked up, seeing my reflection in the mirror. My face was hollow and my skin was ghostly and pale. My eyes looked lifeless, and I could see almost every bone in my body, which honestly didn't surprise me, as I had barely eaten anything in the past month. I looked . . . _dead._

My stomach growled loudly, once again reminding me that I was hungry. Strangely, I felt no need to satisfy it at the moment. I opened the medicine cabinet to retrieve a box of dye that was identical to my natural hair color, but something else caught my eye.

 _A razor blade._

I reached for it, cracking the plastic and retrieving the sharp, silver blade. I held it against my skin.

 _Aria, don''t do it!_ The rational part of my brain screamed. Sighing, I decided against it and placed the deadly sliver of steel on the side of the bathtub. I applied the hair dye over the pink streaks and got into the shower to wash it out. After the horrid smell of chemicals had finally died away and the wretched pink streaks were no longer in existence, I slumped down in the shower, feeling the water pelt and run down my body.

The tears that had disappeared for a good two hours returned. I let them flow freely from my face and mix with the scalding hot water. In a moment of weakness, I caught sight of the razor blade. I didn't even hesitate before slowly dragging the blade across my wrist, smiling sinisterly as I watched the skin split and the blood began to ooze out. I felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of me, setting me free of all of my internal misery.I was sobbing uncontrollably, yet I felt so, _so_ good at the same time. I continued to make cuts, watching in fascination as the blood mixed with the water, turning it pink. I didn't even notice the sound of the door open, or the shower curtain being slowly pulled back, until I felt a strong hand wrap gently around my wrist, causing me to drop the blade, and was met with the heartbroken expression on Ezra's face.

 **Ezra**

I waited, sitting on Aria's bed, waiting for her to finish her shower so I could wrap her up in my arms and make her feel safe. I thought I was imagining it at first, but I swore I heard muffled sobs over the heavy splashing of the running water. I slowly opened the bathroom door, wanting to make sure she was okay.

She was crying, all right.

I couldn't bear to hear her cry, of all of the things in the world, hearing Aria cry is the most heartbreaking thing, as she only cries when she's in an unbearable amount of pain. I slowly pulled back the shower curtain, thinking all I was going to was embrace her and make her feel better. But I was not prepared to see the sight behind the curtain.

Aria was sobbing, curled up in a ball on the floor, blood dripping down from jagged slices on her wrists and thighs, a razor blade in hand. I gently wrapped my hand around her tiny wrist, causing her to abruptly drop the blade and look up at me with tears still cascading down her face.

"Aria . . ." I said gently as I shut off the water and gathered her in my arms, clutching her to my now soaked T-Shirt. I wrapped her in a fluffy white towel before covering her cuts with Vaseline from under the sink to stop the bleeding.

"I understand if you hate me now," she whispered, her voice cracking.

"Aria, I could _never_ hate you."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide. "Really?"

"Aria, I mean what I said."

I helped her stand up and get dressed. I looked in her closet, finding my old yellow Hollis T-Shirt, which she always said was her favorite, folded with the rest of her pajamas. Smiling to myself, I handed it to her. She, in return, handed me another one of my shirts, this one was maroon with the Harvard logo on the back.

"You need to stop stealing my clothes," I laughed slightly. She smiled faintly. I hugged her tightly, knotting my fingers in her wet hair. I led her downstairs to the living room. Everyone else was asleep, as it was one in the morning. I laid beside her on the couch and hugged her tight. I pulled away and looked straight into her hazel eyes.

"Aria, I love you so much, and these," I paused as I brought her arm to my face, placing featherlight kisses on each cut, "don't make me love you any less."

"I love you too; so much that those four unbearable weeks away from you caused me physical pain," she murmured as she nestled her head into my chest. We laid there peacefully, enveloped in another's arms, as we both slowly drifted away into a sea of oblivion.


	13. Chapter 13

p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="text-decoration: underline; letter-spacing: 0.0px;"strongChapter 13: Unsteady/strong/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"strongAria/strong/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"I woke up to the sound of the smoke alarms blaring and the smell of burning food. Grumbling, I rolled over, expecting to be met with Ezra's warm body, but instead I landed on the hard floor with a thud. I became fully aware of the pain that my body was in; my wrists and thighs stung with a fire I had never experienced before, I was dehydrated and starving, and a migraine pounded through my skull. Groaning, I picked myself up from the floor and wrapped myself in the cotton robe that was draped over the arm of the couch, knowing if my parents saw the aftermath of yesterday's shower, all hell would break loose./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"I padded over to the kitchen, where I found the source of the burning smell struggling with a frying pan, the charred remains of whatever he had tried to cook glued onto the sizzling metal./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Oh my, God, Ezra! What the hell did you emdo?"/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Oh, Aria, I, well–um, I was going to make you breakfast, but it didn't turn out as he rubbed the back of his neck./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""You and I both know that you are emnot/em capable of cooking!" I yelled over the alarm. Tucking the annoying strand of short hair behind my ear, I retrieved a broom from the laundry room and repetitively jabbed the smoke detector with it until the shrill beeping ceased. I slumped down into a chair, fiddling with the belt on my robe./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, are you okay?" Ezra asked gently as he took both of my hands, running his thumbs over my knuckles. I wrapped my arms around his neck, burying my face into his chest, trying to hold back the tears. Ezra fastened one arm around my torso and stroked the side of my face with the back of his hand. I choked on my breath, and he held me tighter./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""You can cry, I'm here," he crooned. I cried in his arms for several minutes before I was able to breathe normally. I began to feel woozy, and my migraine intensified./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, you're stomach sounds like an all-out battle between a bunch of hungry grizzly bears. When was the last time you ate?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""I don't know. Tow, maybe three days ago?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Okay, come on," he pulled me up and led me to my bedroom. /span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Wait, what are we doing?" I looked at him skeptically as he rummaged around in my closet./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""You are going to get dressed, and then we are going to go to The Brew for breakfast, since I obviously can't cook anything without almost burning your house down," he said as her threw me a pair of leggings and a flannel./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"strongEzra/strong/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"Aria rolled her sleeves down before proceeding to pull on her black boots./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, it's eighty degrees outside," I pointed out as I helped her up off of the floor./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Well, I don't exactly want the whole world to know my true feelings," she mumbled as she walked out the door. I grabbed her hand and gently pulled her back to me. She faced me hesitantly. Tears brimmed in her eyes, threatening to spill. I reached up to brush them away./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""I'm sorry, Aria, I really am."/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Ezra I'm not mad, I'm just really ashamed of myself," she said softly. I pulled her into a snug embrace, running my fingers through her hair./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, you can't be ashamed for what you did. I understand why you did it. It was your way of dealing with your pain. I just want to help you heal." She smiled, looking up at me. Her hand landed on my cheek, stroking it affectionately./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Did I remember to thank you for saving my life?" she whispered, gazing intently into my eyes./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Yes, I believe you did. But I'm still waiting for the thank-you card . . ." I trailed off when I saw Aria's facial expression. "Are you okay?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Yeah, I just feel a bit woozy. And thirsty," she added./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, you're probably dehydrated. Sit down and I'll get you some water." I rushed to the kitchen and filled up a large water bottle. I handed it to her and she gulped it down gratefully. Just as we were about to walk out the door, Ella and Byron came in./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Hey, we were just heading to The Brew," Aria said, smiling a little bit./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Um, guys, I'm sorry, but I think that will have to wait," Byron sighed, looking panicked./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"strongAria/strong/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Mom? Dad? What is it?" I pressed, my voice wobbling ever so slightly. emWhat could have happened?/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Aria, you're going to have to sit down for this," my mom sighed./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"emShit./em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Am I in trouble?"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""No, it's just–"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Tallmadge withdrew your acceptation," Mom blurted, immediately looking down at her shoes./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"They emwithdrew my acceptation? /emI felt as if I had been kicked in the ovaries. Tallmadge, my emdream school./em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""What! emWhy?" /emI demanded, my emotions flashing between rage, confusion, and sadness./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Because, honey, when you're framed for a murder—"/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""But Mona's not even emdead!" /emI screamed, bolting up from the couch. I began to pace to room, knotting my hands in my hair./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""They don't care about that," my dad sighed, looking up at me sympathetically./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia; min-height: 14.0px;" /p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Then where the hell am I supposed to go to school? Am I just emnot /emgoing to go to college?" I screamed, hurling a pillow at the wall. My dad stood up and put his hand on my shoulder, steadying me in an attempt to calm me down./span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""We just had a meeting with the dean at Hollis. He said if you can send in an application by the end of this week, there's a possibility that you can attend."/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"I couldn't believe it. I was going to Hollis, where my dad was a professor. Where emEzra /emhad been a professor. Where emfreaking Meredith /emhad been a professor. I had been knocked down from the school of my dreams to emthis?/em/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;""Fine, I'll fill out the application," I grumbled,/span/p  
p style="margin: 0.0px 0.0px 24.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Georgia;"span style="letter-spacing: 0.0px;"I flopped back onto the couch, cradling my face into my hands. First, my parent's relationship, my family, emmy /emrelationship, almost my emlife/em, and now emcollege? /emThere had not been one single part of my life in the past two years that had not been affected by A./span/p 


	14. Chapter 14

**Ezra**  
I was seated in my office at The Brew, reading a book as Aria slept on the couch. I had offered her to stay with me, as she wasn't ready to go to school.

There was a knock on the door and it swung open. There stood a person that I hadn't seen in over a year, and absolutely did not want to see again.

Jackie _freaking_ Molina.

"Surprise!"

"Jackie? Um, I'm sorry, but what are you doing here?" I probably sounded like a massive jerk, but Aria and Jackie didn't exactly have the friendliest history.

"Well, I'm moving back into town, so I thought I'd stop by and say hello!"

The situation was beginning to make me feel extremely uncomfortable. Jackie's sharp gaze dropped to Aria, who was still unconscious. Her nose scrunched up in disgust.

"You two are still together?" she asked, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow.

"Yeah, Jackie, we are," I sighed.

"Well, I hope that one day you realize what a huge mistake you're making," she retorted before storming out and slamming the door.

This was _not_ what I needed right now. And this situation wouldn't exactly help Aria either. The last time Jackie was in Rosewood, she blackmailed Aria into breaking up with me. Her little plan almost went through until I caught the two fighting in my office at Hollis.

"That little _bitch,"_ Aria grumbled as she rolled off of the couch.

I stiffened next to her. "You . . . heard that conversation?" I stuttered nervously.

"Yeah," she whispered, sitting up and combing through her hair with her fingers. She looked up at me with a saddened look in her eyes. My anger towards Jackie grew even more. Aria did not need my jealous ex-fiancé coming after her when she was already dealing with the fragile mental state she was in.

"Aria, you are _not_ a mistake. If anything, you have made me a better person. I love you, and Jackie is just going to have to deal with that." Aria looked up at me, a faint smile playing on her lips.

"Can we go to your apartment?" she asked, tracing lazy circles on my hand. I stood up whilst grabbing her hand.

"Of course."

 **Aria**

It was seven o'clock, and Ezra and I were snuggled together on the couch, halfway through _Titanic._

"See, if Jack and Rose weren't making out on the deck, the lookouts wouldn't have been distracted and would have seen the iceberg sooner, and the ship wouldn't have sank!"

Ezra chuckled at my commentary. "Yeah, but wouldn't it kill the romance?"

"Yeah, if you call the death of the main love interest romantic," I scoffed, stuffing more of the buttery popcorn into my mouth.

"Hey! It _was_ romantic, there is no denying it," he argued, ruffling my hair

"Mister Ezra Fitz, you are just too romantic for your own good!" I laughed. He smkirked before speaking.

"Well, Miss Aria Fit–" he stopped talking abruptly, his eyes widening when he realized the mistake in his wording.

"You were _totally_ about to say 'Fitz!'" I giggled, smirking at him while he looked down. His face flushed a deep crimson. "You really are too romantic for your own good."

The mood was interrupted when a noise emitted from my cell phone, signifying I had just received a text message.

 _Bodies rot in open graves, Aria. Keep that in mind. -A_

"Aria? What's wrong?" Ezra muted the television and turned his body to face me. I handed him my phone with the A message displayed on the screen.

"Aria, I think this might have to do with who was in my casket," he said as his eyes widened. My stomach grumbled, and Ezra looked at me, his expression softening.

"I am going to go get food, because you, my dear, are hungry, and all I have in my fridge are a couple of furry limes." He kissed me cheek before standing up to leave.

"When will you be back?" I asked, hoping that the fear twisting in the bottom of my stomach didn't appear in my voice.

"About twenty minutes. Sit tight, I'll be back before you know it," Ezra said before leaving the apartment and locking it.

I paced around the apartment for fifteen minutes, practically wearing a hole through the hardwood floor. I knotting my hands in my hair, a habit I had picked up from Ezra. Being alone worried me. What if something happened? What if A took me away again? What if–

There was a sharp knock on the door. I opened it to reveal the one person that I did not want to see at the moment.

"Jackie? What the hell are you doing here?" Jackie pushed through the door and slammed it behind her.

"I came looking for Ezra, but if you're here, I guess I can just kill two birds with one stone," she smirked. "You are going to stay away from Ezra."

I laughed dryly, crossing my arms. "And what are you going to blackmail me with _this_ time? Because, if you watch the news, you may know that I've already lost _everything_."

"Well, you still have _him,"_ she retorted., stepping closer to me.

"Yes, Jackie, she does have me. And she always will," Ezra's voice boomed from the doorway. He put the bags of takeout on the table and stood in between Jackie and myself.

"Oh, Ez–"

"Save it, Jackie. Leave. Just _leave,"_ he demanded, jabbing his index finger towards the door.

"Fine. But I'm not giving up," she growled as she slammed the door behind her.


	15. Chapter 15

**Ezra**

Aria slowly sank down to her knees, burying her face into her hands as her little body trembled. I was going to _kill_ Jackie.

"I will murder her if you need me to," I said as I wrapped my arms around her. She giggled slightly. _Mission accomplished._

"She can be as jealous and determined as she wants, but I can't love her; not after what she did to you."

Aria looked up at me and smiled. I slipped one arm beneath her back and brought the other one in the crook of her knees, sweeping her up off of the floor and onto the couch. I unpacked the takeout and arranged it on the table. Aria nervously picked at her egg roll, her eyes darting around the tiny one-room apartment.

"Aria?"

Her sad hazel eyes met mine for a few moments before she snuggled into me. My arms encircled her torso as I pulled her close to me. To think that I almost lost her . . . tears threatened to escape my eyes at the thought. I couldn't cry in front of her; not when she was already so emotionally fragile. But, alas, I was betrayed by my liquid sorrow. I buried my face into Aria's hair, attempting to conceal my sadness. She gently pulled away from me, cradling my face in her hands. Her delicate fingers reached out and swept the fresh tears from my eyes.

"Why are you crying?" she asked as she smoothed my hair out of my face. Instead of responding, I crushed her body to mine. It had just sunk into my mind that I'd almost lost her.

" _Ow . . ._ " she whimpered. I instantly pulled away. She clutched her hand to her chest. I carefully took her hand in mine, gently pushing up her sleeve. She winced as the fabric raked across the sore skin. The mark was agitated; the wound had opened up and was now bleeding profusely. I rushed to the bathroom and retrieved a towel. She inhaled through her teeth as the towel was pressed against her wrist. The bleeding stopped after several minutes.

"Aria, I'm so, _so_ sorry," I whispered.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. You don't need to apologize. Let's go for a walk. You need to clear your head, and I'm starting to feel claustrophobic," she said as she pulled me up from the couch. We headed out of the apartment. The streets were deserted and dark, only illuminated every twenty feet by an old yellow street light. She took my significantly larger hand into her smaller one and leaned her head onto my shoulder.

"Aria, can we talk about something? And promise me you won't lash out at me," I said out of the blue, interrupting the comfortable silence that had been hanging over us.

"Ezra . . ." Aria grumbled in a warning tone.

"Please, it's important," I pleaded.

"Fine, but I can't promise you that I won't be mad," she reasoned, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow.

I sighed. Taking a deep breath, I spoke.

"I think you should get trauma counseling. I don't what happened last night to _ever_ happen again. I couldn't live with myself."

"Ezra, if I get counseling, my parents will find out about . . . you know," Aria sighed, running her hands through her hair.

"Have you ever thought that maybe that could be a good thing?" I asked.

"Well, my mother would be all over me. No way in hell would she leave me home alone. Not to mention that she would most likely make me use the buddy system every time I went into the bathroom," she laughed dryly. "And my dad, well, you know my dad. He would probably kick me out and leave me on the curb," she sighed, sadness creeping into her voice.

"Aria . . ."

She wrapped her arms around my waist, nesting her head on my chest. I rubbed her back and stroked her hair.

"I'm sorry I brought it up, it was a terrible idea."

Aria laughed as we continued walking. We avoided the sensitive topic altogether. Instead, we discussed happier things. Aria had asked me for help with her college application, and I had offered to write her a recommendation. Aria was still very upset by the fact that she couldn't just get the hell out of Rosewood and escape all of this A shit, but also happy that we wouldn't have to spend four years apart. She was still gushing over prom, and she was excited that I had agreed to go with her.

"You know, you, me, the girls, Toby, and Caleb should hang out tonight. It's only nine-thirty; we could go back to your apartment, order pizza, and find something on Netflix to watch," Aria suggested.

"That sounds like a fun idea. I'll call Caleb and Toby, you take care of the girls," I said as I pulled my phone out of my pocket. After making plans, we headed back to my apartment. We were so caught up in our conversation that we didn't notice the familiar face walking in front of us until we ran into them.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Aria demanded.


	16. Chapter 16

**Aria**

 _"Jake?"_ I exclaimed. My burly ex-boyfriend towered over me.

"Jake," Ezra stated plainly, staring him straight in the eye. He stepped in front of me ever so slightly, his grip on my hand tightening significantly.

"Ezra," Jake replied, narrowing his eyes, his gaze landing on our joined hands. "I see you're still together," he said.

"Yes, yes we are," Ezra answered. He smiled despite the uncomfortable conversation topic.

"Well, we better get going. We have plans," I smiled, dragging the jealous Ezra away from the situation.

"Okay! See you around," Jake exclaimed, waving as we walked around him.

"Sure," I grumbled. As soon as we were out of earshot, I began to laugh hysterically.

"You are just so adorable when you're jealous!" I giggled, ruffling his short, chocolate-brown curls. My smile disappeared when my phone beeped in my jacket pocket.

 _Fitzy might want to enjoy you while you last, because I can assure you that he's going to be a lot more jealous soon. -A_

"Aria? Is that A?" Ezra asked, his face softening.

"N-no?" I stuttered. The simple reply sounded more like a question than an answer.

"Aria," he warned, crossing his arms. His hand reached out towards my face and his thumb ran up and down my cheekbone. I nestled into his hand. "You know you can tell me anything, right?" I sighed and handed him my phone. He read the message with a blank expression and handed the silver iPhone back to me.

"Hey, don't worry about me, okay? We should head back to my apartment and meet up with the others."

I nodded, and his arm encircled my waist, pulling me close. When we reached the building, Spencer, Toby, Emily, Alison, Caleb, and Hanna were waiting by the door.

"Hey, what took you so long?" Spencer asked, walking over to hug me. We hadn't seen each other since the dollhouse. "I missed the other half of Team Sparia!" she exclaimed.

"Well, you'll never guess who we ran I to," I sighed, pulling away and crossing my arms.

"Wait, who? Is this something we should be concerned about?" Emily said, leaning in, listening intently.

"Jake," Ezra grumbled, balling his hands into fists at his sides.

"Oh my God! Fitzy is _jealous!"_ Hanna squealed, clutching her stomach as she laughed.

"Hanna!" Caleb reprimanded, placing his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh, you're the one to talk!" Hanna retorted playfully. "Remember Travis?" she giggled, ruffling his hair. We all howled in laughter at Caleb's strange facial expression.

"Geez, guys. I'm _freezing,"_ Ali said, speaking up for the first time.

"Ali, it's seventy-five degrees out," Emily giggled, instantly retrieving Alison's hand.

"Whoa, whoa, there guys! Hold up! Are you back together?" Hanna exclaimed, jumping up and down. Emily hid her face from view, and Alison blushed a deep scarlet.

"Oh my God, you are!" I teased.

I can finally ship Emison again!" Hanna squealed, hugging them both.

Spencer snorted. "Oh my freaking God, Hanna! When did you come up with _that?"_ she scoffed.

"There's more where that came from," she smiled evilly, "Caleb and I are Haleb, and then there's Ezria and Spoby!"

Everyone burst into laughter, exploding over the couple names Hanna had come up with.

"And when did you come up with _those?"_ I demanded as soon as I could breathe again.

"You don't want to know," Hanna sighed. We had all calmed down a little as we headed up the stairwell to the third floor. Ezra unlocked his apartment and we all piled into the cozy space.

"Can I get you guys anything to drink?" he asked, opening the refrigerator.

"I'll have a beer, please," Caleb asked nonchalantly.

"Uh, no! You are underage, mister!" Ezra scolded.

"Don't worry, Caleb. Last month he caught me drinking and dumped a whole bottle of expensive champagne down the sink. My mom was pissed."

Alison giggled, twirling a strand of her golden blond hair around her finger. "You guys are going to get married and have, like, five children-"

" _No!_ No children! At least not anytime soon!" Ezra huffed.

"Do not deny it!" Hanna argued. "Someday, we're all going to be a big family, and all of our kids are going to grow up together, and we'll all still be the best of friends."

A series of "awes" filled the room at the happy thought.

"Yeah, if A can leave us the hell alone," Spencer mumbled. Toby's arms snaked around her waist and pulled her against him.

"Don't worry, we'll get through this," he said softly into her ear. Ezra handed me a glass of ice water, which I gladly accepted, and sat down with me on the couch. Hanna took charge of the remote and scrolled through Ezra's Netflix and selected _30 Rock._ Ezra ordered three pizzas and they were devoured within the half hour.

"You girls are eating like a pack of wolves!" Toby exclaimed, munching on his second slice of pepperoni-and-sausage pizza.

"Yeah, well you try being locked up in an underground hellhole for a month, with nothing to eat but meat and water," I sighed, absentmindedly picking at the green peppers on my pizza slice.

"A forced you to eat meat?" Ezra whispered.

"Yeah," I admitted sadly. "That's why I look like a pile of bones, because my immune system couldn't tolerate it."

Ezra held me snugly in his arms, running a hand through my hair. "Well, you keep eating that, because I won't allow you to be hungry anymore."

I smiled and turned my attention back to the show.

"Where is my _sandwich!"_ Liz Lemon screamed from the stereo speakers. I laughed uncontrollably along with everyone else.

"I'm so glad we could hang out tonight," Ali said thankfully. I don't remember the last time I laughed like this."

After a couple of hours of just having a fun and carefree night, Ezra's phone emitted a shrill beep. His face paled as he opened the message.

"Ezra, what is it?" I asked, leaning I've to look at his phone screen.

 _Ezra, I know you want to know more about your replacement in death. Meet me at the church and maybe we can work something out. -A_


	17. Chapter 17

**Aria**

After everyone had left, Ezra and I were still on his couch. I pulled out my phone and realized what time it was.

"Crap," I muttered.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily, as he had been sleeping, readjusting his hold on my waist.

"It's one in the morning; my parents are going to kill me," I explained, wiggling out of his tight embrace.

"Are you sure you have to go?" Ezra whined, grasping my arm.

"Yeah, I do. I'm going to walk; I need air," I said sadly, kissing him chastely on his forehead. I turned to leave, but was stopped by Ezra.

"Hey, be safe, okay? I don't want you to get hurt," he said, caressing the side of my face. I smiled, placing my hand over his.

"Promise."

I quickly gathered my things and headed out the door. I continued the journey to my house. I walked past the dark windows of The Brew, briefly glancing inside. I felt a twinge of panic, almost as if I was being followed. I shook it off; it was probably just paranoia left over from that damn dollhouse. For a split second, I felt someone breathing down my neck. Before I could react, a hand slammed down over my mouth, blocking my airways, swallowing my screams. I was yanked into an alleyway, where I was spun around and shoved against the wall by my abductor, who lifted their hand from my mouth.

" _Jake?_ What the hell-" I was cut off by a rough pair of lips crashing down on me, a slimy piece of flesh shoving its way into my throat, a horrible new experience that was completely different than the sweet feeling and gentleness I was used to with Ezra.

"What the _fuck_ was that?" I demanded, struggling to escape the death grip Jake had on my waist.

 _"Get. The fuck. Off of me!"_ I demanded through clenched teeth.

"What we had was _real,_ Aria. And I'm going to prove it to you," he whispered, a sinister smile creeping across his face.

 _Shit._

 _"Ezra!"_ I screamed, as if there was any possible way he could hear me.

"No one can here you, you little bitch," he snarled. I tried to block out the next twenty minutes of pain and suffering. Every minute of it made me feel dirtier and more worthless. In the aftermath, I lay in the alley for half an hour, bawling my eyes out while curled up in a protective ball on the ground. I finally picked myself up and ran to Spencer's house as quickly as I could with the tears clouding my vision. Spencer's mother was out, as she had told me at Ezra's apartment, so I was glad to see that the lights wee still on and that she hadn't gone to bed yet. I knocked on the door, and it opened almost immediately.

"Aria, hey! I thought-what _happened?"_ she demanded. I went over and hugged her, sobbing into her shoulder.

"Oh my God, Aria, are you okay? What happened?" she asked softly as we hugged each other tightly.

"I-I don't want to talk about it," I choked out. Spencer led me upstairs to her bedroom and we both sat down on her bed.

"Do you need to spend the night here?" Spencer asked gently.

"That would be nice," I sniffed. I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pulled it out, and the screen had lit up with a new text message from my mother.

 _Aria, where the hell are you?_

 _Crap._

I quickly typed in a message. My mother could _not_ know what just happened with Jake.

 _At Spencer's, sorry to scare you. I'm going to spend the night._

 _Okay. But it's two a.m., go to sleep!_

I tucked my phone back into my pocket, turning my attention back to Spencer.

"Do you want some tea?" she asked me. I nodded, and she went downstairs to the kitchen to boil some water. I began to pick at one of the cuts on my skin, feeling the same release I had felt after the shower incident with Ezra.

 _Ezra._

I felt horrible. I felt like I had cheated on him. I knew that if Ezra found out about this, Jake would most certainly be dead.

Spencer came back with two ceramic white mugs that were filled to the top with steaming hot tea.

"Camomile, your favorite," she smiled, handing me the mug. I carefully sipped at the hot liquid, being careful not to burn my tongue.

"Aria, I need to know what happened," Spencer pressed, placing her hand on my shoulder. I sighed, and after an hour of talking and many, many tears, I had explained the whole experience.

"Aria, I'm so, _so_ sorry," she whispered, pulling me into a hug.

"Please, _please_ don't tell Ezra," I pleaded.

"Why don't you want Ezra to know? He loves you more than himself, he would help you through this and make you feel safe," she argued, her brows scrunching together in confusion.

"Because," I sighed, "I feel like I cheated on him," I sniffed.

"Aria, you are _not_ cheating on Ezra. This was inflicted by Jake."

I smiled at her appreciatively. "Please, just don't tell anyone," I begged.

"Fine," Spencer sighed as she picked up the remote to turn on the TV, which happened to be on the news.

"Andrew Campbell was arrested tonight for the kidnapping of five teenage girls."

 _"Oh my God."_


End file.
